What Are They Doing Up There?

What Are They Doing Up There?

God raised him up to the heights of heaven and gave him a name that is above every other name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. –Philippians 2:9-11

We don’t tend to talk about heaven very much today in our comfortable Western culture. But there is one place where heaven is always talked about—in the pages of a hymnal. Have you ever noticed how most old hymns end with a heaven verse—one that celebrates Christ’s coming return or what it will be like to cross death’s shores? It was these words from “All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name” that really caught me as I sang them in church one Sunday morning shortly after Hope died:

O that with yonder sacred throng,

we at his feet may fall,

We’ll join the everlasting song,

and crown him Lord of all . . .

It was as if I could see through the rafters of the church building and into the heavens. Far, far away, not only could I see that “yonder sacred throng,” I could see a familiar face in the midst of the throng! Someone I love is there, worshiping Jesus! It was then I realized that in my desperation to feel close to Hope and Gabe, I am closest to them when I do what they are doing and love whom they are loving—when I fall at the feet of Jesus. I’ve been singing hymns so long, I’m not sure I had ever considered what the “yonder sacred throng” even was. It is the multitude of believers who have gone before us. And what are they doing? Are they pining to be back on earth with us? Of course not! They are at the feet of Jesus, singing praises to the Lamb who is worthy!

Praising God won’t be an unwanted assignment or a boring, repetitive ritual when we are in heaven. We won’t be able to help it. As renewed citizens of heaven, together with those we love, we’ll just do what comes naturally; we will joyfully sing praise to the King of heaven. But we don’t have to wait until heaven to join the everlasting song. We can join in here and now.

Worthy One, as my vision of heaven comes clearer, I see that worshiping you there will far surpass any notion I have now about worship and any reluctance I experience now to worship you freely and passionately. How I long to join the sacred throng in the everlasting song!

DIGGING DEEPER